the old man on the mountain

Chapter 1.

The old man's beard was long and white, and so was his hair. He wore a long roughly woven cloak with a hood, which he occasionally drew over his head, if the sunlight became too bright. He had been on the top of the mountain for a long time; the mountain itself had been there considerably longer.

He sat on the top of the mountain under the shade of some tall pine trees, in a hollow on top of two huge gray rocks. The one was slightly smaller than the other, and provided him with a good footrest. From his high vantage point on top of the rocks on the clearing, he could see all the valleys that surrounded the mountain. He could see the smoke
from the various scattered settlements and farms in the distance, and closer to the mountain; he could see the rows and rows of rooftops from
the houses in the village.

He sat all day, everyday, day in and day out, staring over the beautiful valleys, into the distance, where the sky was blue, and sometimes black with clouds, in the distance. The wind blew gently through his white beard, and he would then caress it carefully in thought, as he pondered the mysteries of life.

He lived alone and was seldom bothered by men, except when they came to ask him advice, him being wise and old, and on top of the mountain at that. No, he was seldom disturbed in the peace and tranquility that surrounded him, and he passed his days contemplating the beautiful nature and animals, and so gained great insight into the meaning of earthly existence.

He questioned the wind, and the wind gave answer. He pondered the stars, and the stars revealed their secrets. The deer and the birds grazed peacefully next to his throne of rocks, and became tame to his hand and his ways. He understood the beauty of the blooming of the flowers in the spring, and the shedding of trees' leaves during the fall. He understood the greatest mystery of all; love, peace and
harmony.

And that is why the men of the village came to him for guidance and advice in their lives. They venerated his mighty wisdom and grasp over
life. It was customary for a man of the village to venture up the slopes of the great mountain, to its summit, in order to have an audience with the sage. The custom required that a man must go to the old man of the mountain for advice three times during his life, once as a young man, once during middle age, and one final time on his own old
day.

As the men came to him, he listened to them, and gave them advice. His words were always clear and true, and no man would dare to ignore his
advice. His instructions were always strictly adhered to by the men of the village, and never was his words ignored.

The spring was followed by summer, and summer was followed by fall, which in turn was followed by winter, and that turned again to spring,
and so on endlessly. But on the top of the mountain, the climate was mild, and it was always spring. The flowers among the rocks and stones
were always in bloom. The green grass ebbed and flowed in a continual stream of rhythm in the wind.

The birds sang and never flew south, for here was eternal life in abundance. An eternal cycle of life, death and rebirth. The air was fair up there, as the green grass grew, and the flowers bloomed among the pine trees swaying in the wind. The old man sat as if he was dreaming, but he was not, his thoughts were omnipresent and alert to
every small influence on the ether of existence.

And if by times he was dreaming, then his dreams were strong, like the stars strewn out in the heavens above, thoughts streamed in light through the dark subconscious of his mind. He knew more about life than a man needed to know, and what is more important, he understood that knowledge which he possessed.

So as the life and labor of the villagers bellow in the valley turned around the changing of the seasons, his did not. His life was just one long stream of wisdom and bliss, in the solitude of the mountaintop. That is why they venerated him, and that is why the men went to seek his advice. He was the old man on top of the mountain, and that said it all.

The mountain was always green at the top where the birds sang, and the wise man sat on the rocks, and occasionally a young man from the village ventured up the steep slopes of the mountain to hear the white bearded sage's instruction for the first time.

Chapter 2.

The young man was in his twentieth summer when he climbed up the steep mountain to go and see the old man for the first time.

The morning was bright and clear, and the mountain air tasted fresh in his mouth and nostrils. The climb was steep and hard; as there were no
footpaths up the mountain, save for the tracks left by the wild animals.

But he was young, and his legs were strong and willing. His lungs pumped fresh air through his blood, and his young heart was strong. He
never labored during the journey. He climbed up the mountain with ease, and did not even once stop to rest, as he was eager to hear the old man's wise words.

He would have to undertake this journey again twice more in his life, when guidance was needed. Over twenty summers he would again be on this
route to see the old man, an then twenty summers from there onward, when he was old, to get his final directions in the journey of life. But now he was young, and he was on his way to hear the words of the master for the first time. He moved faster at the thought, and soon he
reached the last rise.

In the distance above he could see the pine grove on the summit where the old man sat on the gray rocks. His young, powerful legs carried him
swiftly upwards through the tall green grass, as he walked among the red, blue and purple flowers. Soon he arrived in the clearing, and took a moment to survey the world from this height, before greeting the old man cordially.

"Hello old man." Said he.
"Good day young man." Said the white bearded sage.
"I have come to ask guidance in my youth." Said the young man.
"What do you want from life?" ask the old man.
"To be happy." Replied the young man.
"Then you must go from here and do as I say; go and find yourself a beautiful young maiden from your village, marry her and have two children. Find a good job and settle down in your family life. This will give you purpose and fulfillment in your life and make you happy.In twenty years from now, if you have done what I have said, return unto this place and I shall give you further instruction." Said the wise old man.

"Thank you old man, I shall go and do as you have instructed, and will return unto you when the time is right." Promised the young man.

His return journey was a pleasant one, and his heart abounded with joy at the advice the old man had given him. He could not have hoped for better direction and meaning in his life. He would go and do as the old man had instructed, and he was promised, this would make him happy.

He walked down the deer path leading to the lower hills below, and soon found a familiar cow path that led down to the dirt road to the village. He was almost home, and the sun was just beginning to go down.

Chapter 3.

Twenty summers past for the young man, and after that, he was not young anymore. It was time to go and seek advice from the old man again because, even though he had led a happy married life as he had been promised, and had two fine sons, there had been a turning point in his life, and he once more needed guidance.

His wife of twenty years had recently passed away, and their two grown up sons had gotten married and left the house. They had been up to see the old man a while back, and he had given them the same advice he had given their father; get married and settle down. Now that the man was all on his own, he needed to go and see the old man again to receive further advice in his mature life. He set out on the journey of climbing the mountain early one morning as the sun rose over the hills. He left the village and was soon traveling up the higher ground of the hills below the mountain.

He climbed up the steep mountainside with the deer paths he had taken twenty years before. Although he did not become too fatigued, the journey was nonetheless more arduous than it had been in his youth, as his body was slowly aging. He stopped to rest a while, and then he climbed the slope between the tall blades of green grass and the
scattered gray rocks, until at last he once again reached the summit.

He found the old man sitting on his rock throne among the pine trees and greeted him. The old man had also aged with the passage of time and was now truly elderly. The old man returned his greeting and added; "I see you are back." He was pleased that the old man had remembered him from all those years ago, among all those who had come and seen him in between, but then, he was the old man of the mountain, he knew all, and forgot nothing.

Then the man told the old man what he had done in the last twenty years.

"Old man" he said, "I have done as you had proposed, and I got married and settled down in the village below to a good job. I raised two fine
sons who recently have been here to see you. On your advice they married themselves and settled down elsewhere in the village. I was happy, as you said I would be, but now my wife has passed away, and I am all on my own. What must I do from here on forward to find happiness and fulfillment in my life?"

The old man replied "Go below and advance in your trade, or become a business man, but procure great wealth for your old day. You will find no more fulfillment in women and children, but as you grow older, money will bring purpose and fulfillment to your life. When you have done this, you may return in twenty summers for further guidance."

"Thank you greatly old man, I shall go and do as you advise, and when the time is right, I shall return." Said the man.

He walked down the mountain again, as the wind rustled the grass by his side, pondering the old man's wisdom. Yes, he would do as he had been
told, he would work hard and become very rich. This will surely provide for his old day and give him joy.

As the sun went down, he reached the dirt road in the bottom of the valley, which led into the village.

Chapter 4.

Twenty summers passed as the man labored in the village below, while the wise old man sat on the mountain and handed out advice.

In those twenty years the man started a small business, which rapidly grew into a large one. He became one of the wealthiest men in the village and was greatly admired by his fellows. Yet, one day he sat down and realized that all his wealth did not make him truly happy, that there was something amiss in his life, and that he would have to go up to the mountain one last time to see the old man, if he was still there, to get advice regarding his own old day, which had arrived at
last.

He left the village supported by a cane, and started the slow and laborious journey up the steep slope of the mountain. As he climbed up
the steep mountain side among the grassy banks, between the stones, he had to stop several times to rest, as his old body was not as full of energy as it had been in the early days.

He climbed higher, and higher among the grass and the flowers, up the mountain. Until at last he could see the grove of pine trees, where the
old man sat, ahead in the distance. He crossed the last stretch in hurry, traveling as fast as his old legs and his cane would carry him, for he was eager to hear the wise man's last words of advice to himself.

When he arrived in the clearing he saw that the old man of the mountain was now the ancient man of the mountain, as he had grown old over the
years as well, even with the aid of the high altitude and fresh mountain air. He hailed the ancient wise man hello.

"Hello ancient one" he said, "do you still remember me?"
"Well I remember you, young one." Said the wise man, and added "Although I see you're not that young yourself anymore."
"This is true." Said he, and then asked about the business he had come for "Wise one, I have done as you had said that I should, I have worked hard these last twenty years, and have amassed a small fortune. Yet now, in my old day, happiness seems to elude me, even though I was fairly content up to now. What should I then do to regain my happiness in my old age?"
"You say that you did as I advised and collected a handsome retirement?" asked the ancient one.
"I did." Replied the man.
"Is your wealth safely deposited in a bank?" asked the old man.
"Yes." The man replied.
"Do you have a bankcard?" asked the ancient one.
"I do." Said the man.
"If you want to be truly happy," said the ancient one "you must hand me over your bankcard and pin number."

The old man had never been wrong before regarding the man's happiness, so he gladly handed over his bankcard, and gave the wise man his pin
number. (Which was 42431).

"The second step in regaining your happiness" said the ancient one "is that we must exchange our garments."

Again the old man did not see the sense in arguing with the ancient one; after all, he had never been wrong before. The ancient one dressed in his expensive suit, and he put on the long white robe with the hood.

"Now finally, in order for you to be happy, you must spend your remaining days here, as I have these many years past, and you must give advice to all who come and seek it from you." Said the ancient one.
"And what will you do?" ask the man.
"I will go and live out my remaining few days on your wealth, but don't fret, I will send up some supplies with the next young man that comes
to seek your advice." He replied and then said. "And when he comes, you can prepare him for his old day, and yours. So long."

Then the ancient one took up the cane and ambled slowly down the steep incline of the mountain for the first time in many years, looking forward to a pleasant demise. He disappeared among the tall green grass as he climbed along the deer path down the steep incline.

Behind him in the pine grove, the old man had already taken in his position on the stone throne, and was surveying his surroundings. Yes it was beautiful up here and the air was fresh. He was the king of all he surveyed, and more importantly, he was the wise one to whom all came for help and guidance. Yes, he was feeling happy already, the ancient one had not lied. He had never lied in all the years that the old man knew him.

He would be as happy as the ancient one had been, at being the old man of the mountain, and he would depart his great wisdom with the same grace.

Chapter 5.

And so he sat under the shade of the pine trees, on top of the world, surveying all around him, all his days.

The deer and birds became his friends, and if he did not imagine it, so did the wind and the weather. The sun was his brother, and the stars
his sisters, during the long nights on top of the mountain. He sat on his rock throne among the pine trees, and became one with the nature that surrounded him.

He was on his post again one day when a young man from the village came up the mountain to see him. The young man ventured up the steep slope of the mountain without tiring, for he was eager to hear what wise words of instruction the old man had for him. He climbed hard, and soon he could see the pine grove on the summit in the distance above, where the old man sat on the gray rocks. His young, powerful legs carried him swiftly upwards through the tall green grass, as he walked among the red, blue and purple flowers. Soon he arrived in the clearing, and took a moment to survey the world from this height, before greeting the old man cordially.

"Hello old man." Said he.
"Good day young man." Said the white bearded sage.
"I have come to ask guidance in my youth." Said the young man.
"What do you want from life?" ask the old man.
"To be happy." Replied the young man.
"Then you must go from here and do as I say; go and find yourself a beautiful young maiden from your village, marry her and have two children. Find a good job and settle down in your family life. This will give you purpose and fulfillment in your life and make you happy. In twenty years from now, if you have done what I have said, return unto this place and I shall give you further instruction." Said the wise old man.

"Thank you old man, I shall go and do as you have instructed, and will return unto you when the time is right." Promised the young man.

His return journey was a pleasant one, and his heart abounded with joy at the advice the old man had given him. He could not have hoped for better direction and meaning in his life. He would go and do as the old man had instructed, and he was promised, this would make him happy...

The End.